Vox pop

SC verdict on Glivec is a victory for science and human rightsWith reference to the editorial Giving pharma its prescription (Our Take, April 3), the Supreme Court's rejection of Swiss drugmaker Novartis' patent application for its drug Glivec is a welcome move as this will give poor patients easier access to cheaper generic versions of the drug to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and some other cancers.

This is a watershed moment for the Indian pharmaceutical industry as now there will be a bigger market for generic drugs. More crucially, this verdict has provided clarity on the extent of innovation required to retain patents in India.

The SC verdict is a victory for science and human rights and one hopes that it will open the door for other life-saving drugs. R Natarajan, via email

Declare water a national propertyWith reference to the editorial The glass is all empty (April 3), at a time when countries across the world are facing a severe water crisis, it is appalling that India does not have a contingency plan to deal with the situation.

With groundwater levels going down at an alarming rate and no viable system to integrate water management plans in rural and urban areas, it's high time the government declared water as a national property. Harish Dimri, Delhi

First, we must train the trainers This refers to Shivani Singh's article Do teachers at your kids' school teach them right? (Metro matters, April 1). India is facing an acute shortage of teachers and in such a scenario a low quality workforce will only add to the woes of parents.

Last year, less than 1% of the 7.95 lakh teachers managed to clear the Central Teacher Eligibility Test. This shows that teachers are inadequately trained and even schools, which charge exorbitant fees, do not bother to provide them on-the-job training. Priyansha Mathur, Delhi

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